Liquid atomizers for inhalation purposes are known in various embodiments. Thus, for example from DE 32 38 149 A1 an atomizer is known, which comprises a bottom and an upper housing section. The bottom housing section forms the container for the liquid to be atomized, and includes a base equipped with the pressure gas supply line. The interior of the housing has, separated from it, a nozzle body in continuation of the pressure gas channel and an air supply chamber opposite thereto formed in the bottom housing section. The nozzle body is removably attached to the upper housing section. Between nozzle body and air supply chamber is a gas current controller, again separated from the remaining components, which extends from the end of the nozzle body that faces the air supply channel. A discharge pipe for the aerosol is molded on the side to the upper housing section. The nozzle body includes two bores through which the liquid is sucked from the liquid collection region of the bottom housing section. The bottom housing section can be separated from the upper housing section or the nozzle body can be separated from the bottom housing section in order to be able to clean the nozzle channels and the entire atomizer.
Another liquid atomizer, which comprises an upper housing section with an air supply channel and a bottom housing section with a pressure gas connection, is know form AU 3,429,389 B. A short discharge pipe for the aerosol generated in the housing interior is molded on the side to the upper housing section and an air supply chamber projecting into the housing interior is molded on in the center of the upper region. A nozzle body, whose bottom end includes the connecting part of a centrally extending pressure gas channel, is removably attached to the pressure gas connection disposed in the center of the bottom housing section. The nozzle body aligns with the air supply chamber, so that the atomizing end of the nozzle body is opposite the air supply chamber. The atomizing end of the nozzle body has a receptacle for another component of the atomizer, which bears a gas current controller. This component is mounted in such a manner along the housing wall on the nozzle body that the gas current controller is disposed above the atomizing end opposite the openings of the pressure gas channel and the liquid channels. Furthermore, the known atomizer has two annular deflecting elements, which are disposed in such a manner in the interior of the housing that a deflection and distribution and a stilling of the generated aerosol is brought about.
The two atomizers described as examples exhibit a drawback shared with other previously known atomizers. Since the atomizers, in particular the nozzle bodies, always have to be carefully cleaned in order to remove completely any residues from the aerosol liquids the known atomizers must be dissectable in such a manner that the nozzle body and in particular the liquid channels can be cleaned. In addition, the prior art atomizers can be disassembled into several, often very small parts. Therefore, the user not only has to quite scrupulously clean the device, but also must be able to disassemble the atomizer into its individual components and assemble it again. In so doing, there is a high risk that one of the small parts of the atomizer will be lost.
Moreover, it is necessary that the design of the nozzle body, in particular the liquid channels, and the position of the gas current controller with respect to the atomizing end of the nozzle body, be constructed within small tolerances. Thus, the components that affect the flow of the liquid/air mixture must be arranged at precise intervals and in precise relationships to each other, in order to generate a finely distributed, well mixed, and homogeneous aerosol. For this reason the nozzle body was manufactured to date separately from the housing of the atomizer and always installed separately from said housing. In most cases the other parts influencing the flow were also manufactured separately from the housing and connected detachably to said housing.